AGF Aarhus
13 Nov 2005, 05:17 AM
Warning: Rant.
Three and a half years ago on the final group match day I found myself searching high and low for a place in Berlin to watch US-Poland. I telephoned all around the city, but every bar was either showing the Portugal-S. Korea game (which was being shown on free TV) or the 'Konference' (which is the most heinous crime ever committed against soccer). I finally called the Oscar Wilde and was told they would show the US, in its entirety.
On the day of the match I arrived two hours early (before the bar was even open). When the owner arrived and let me in I asked again, and he confirmed that they would show the US game. I staked out my spot right in front of the big screen, ordered some breakfast and started drinking (being the good customer that I am). Moments before the game was to start the bar was filled with roughly equal numbers of people who wanted to watch either game (there is a big screen in the back room and a smaller one up front).
The owner decided to put it to a vote. I protested loudly, pointing out that this is a bar, not a democracy and that I had both telephoned and been the first through the door, and changing their mind now would be to lie to one of their better customers. I also pointed out that those wishing to watch the other match could go to literally any other bar in the city, while those of us who wanted to watch the US only had one place to go.
The owner decided on a poor compromise. He would show the first half of the US game on the big screen and then switch at half time, meaning that my perfect spot was good for one half and I had to watch the second half straining around a post on a small screen 20 meters away. Words were exchanged, feelings were hurt.
I was angry, and this sparked a 3 year boycott on my part for which all of my friends ridicule me as being unreasonable.
I eventually broke my boycott on Easter Sunday when the Oscar Wilde was the only place to watch Mexico-US. I reluctantly returned and for my efforts was treated to watching the game without sound on the small screen. Unsatisfying, but the long period of reconciliation between me and Wilde had begun.
Recently I’ve been spending more time there. While the other option for watching English soccer (The Old Emerald Isle) is an infinitely better pub with a great staff, I have to grudgingly admit that the layout of the bar makes the Wilde better.
And so I found myself this week once again searching high and low for a place to watch Scotland-USA. The Wilde listed the game on its website, but having been burned before I looked all over the city, but to no avail.
I got to the bar 30 minutes before kickoff yesterday so that I could make my case, with plenty of time for discussion, well before the game started. What I walked into, though, was not a mostly empty bar getting ready for a busy night of soccer, but a bar packed with rugby fans.
England-Australia was on the big screen in the back room, Ireland-New Zealand on the small screen up front. With England-Argentina kicking off at 5:45, I was already prepared for the reality of that being on the big screen and that the US game would be relegated to the front room. Fine. So I asked the barkeeper if they would be showing the soccer game. He said yes, most certainly, just as soon as the rugby was finished.
The rugby game would end at 5:10, meaning that I would miss the first 10 minutes. Annoying, but I accepted this.
So the rugby game ends, but no soccer. I ask at the bar and am informed that they have decided not to show the Scotland-US game in the front room after all because they want to show England in both rooms, and that no, they will not show at least the first half before England starts because, well, they just can’t be bothered, really. This is premised on the fact that those currently in the front room are clearly there to watch England.
Maybe that is true, but it is also irrelevant. Those England fans can go to the back room. And actually, I’m not sure that was true. At that time there was a number of Scots in the front room as well as a bunch Irishmen and Kiwis who were on their way out (from what I could tell I was the only Yank). Anger rises, words are exchanged, feelings are hurt.
I understand why they chose not the show the game. I’m trying to be reasonable. But if that is the case, they should not advertise that they will show Scotland-US, and they should not tell me 30 minutes before kickoff that they will do the same.
And so a new boycott is begun. Guess I’ll be back in 2008.
Three and a half years ago on the final group match day I found myself searching high and low for a place in Berlin to watch US-Poland. I telephoned all around the city, but every bar was either showing the Portugal-S. Korea game (which was being shown on free TV) or the 'Konference' (which is the most heinous crime ever committed against soccer). I finally called the Oscar Wilde and was told they would show the US, in its entirety.
On the day of the match I arrived two hours early (before the bar was even open). When the owner arrived and let me in I asked again, and he confirmed that they would show the US game. I staked out my spot right in front of the big screen, ordered some breakfast and started drinking (being the good customer that I am). Moments before the game was to start the bar was filled with roughly equal numbers of people who wanted to watch either game (there is a big screen in the back room and a smaller one up front).
The owner decided to put it to a vote. I protested loudly, pointing out that this is a bar, not a democracy and that I had both telephoned and been the first through the door, and changing their mind now would be to lie to one of their better customers. I also pointed out that those wishing to watch the other match could go to literally any other bar in the city, while those of us who wanted to watch the US only had one place to go.
The owner decided on a poor compromise. He would show the first half of the US game on the big screen and then switch at half time, meaning that my perfect spot was good for one half and I had to watch the second half straining around a post on a small screen 20 meters away. Words were exchanged, feelings were hurt.
I was angry, and this sparked a 3 year boycott on my part for which all of my friends ridicule me as being unreasonable.
I eventually broke my boycott on Easter Sunday when the Oscar Wilde was the only place to watch Mexico-US. I reluctantly returned and for my efforts was treated to watching the game without sound on the small screen. Unsatisfying, but the long period of reconciliation between me and Wilde had begun.
Recently I’ve been spending more time there. While the other option for watching English soccer (The Old Emerald Isle) is an infinitely better pub with a great staff, I have to grudgingly admit that the layout of the bar makes the Wilde better.
And so I found myself this week once again searching high and low for a place to watch Scotland-USA. The Wilde listed the game on its website, but having been burned before I looked all over the city, but to no avail.
I got to the bar 30 minutes before kickoff yesterday so that I could make my case, with plenty of time for discussion, well before the game started. What I walked into, though, was not a mostly empty bar getting ready for a busy night of soccer, but a bar packed with rugby fans.
England-Australia was on the big screen in the back room, Ireland-New Zealand on the small screen up front. With England-Argentina kicking off at 5:45, I was already prepared for the reality of that being on the big screen and that the US game would be relegated to the front room. Fine. So I asked the barkeeper if they would be showing the soccer game. He said yes, most certainly, just as soon as the rugby was finished.
The rugby game would end at 5:10, meaning that I would miss the first 10 minutes. Annoying, but I accepted this.
So the rugby game ends, but no soccer. I ask at the bar and am informed that they have decided not to show the Scotland-US game in the front room after all because they want to show England in both rooms, and that no, they will not show at least the first half before England starts because, well, they just can’t be bothered, really. This is premised on the fact that those currently in the front room are clearly there to watch England.
Maybe that is true, but it is also irrelevant. Those England fans can go to the back room. And actually, I’m not sure that was true. At that time there was a number of Scots in the front room as well as a bunch Irishmen and Kiwis who were on their way out (from what I could tell I was the only Yank). Anger rises, words are exchanged, feelings are hurt.
I understand why they chose not the show the game. I’m trying to be reasonable. But if that is the case, they should not advertise that they will show Scotland-US, and they should not tell me 30 minutes before kickoff that they will do the same.
And so a new boycott is begun. Guess I’ll be back in 2008.